Elevating truck having pedal operated fluid actuated lifting mechanism



F. .1.y sHEPARD', JR., r AL June 6, 1939.

ELEVATING TRUCK HAVING PEDAL OPERATED FLUID ACTUATED LIFTING MEGHANISM I 4 Sheets-sheet 1 K .Im/eNews.I FredercKL). Shepard drt Nuhdhel Wcxrshuw ATTyS.

June 6, 193,9. F. J. sHEPARD, JR., ET AL 2,161,660

ELEVATING TRUCK HM-ING PEDAL PERATED FLUU ACTUATED LIFTIG `MECHANISM Film1V om. 24, 19:56' 4 sheets-sheet 2' Fi g.

June 6,- 1939.A F. J. sHEPARD, JR., ET AL 2,161,560

ELVATING TRUCK-HAVING PEDAL OPERATED FLUID AcTUATED-LIFTING MEcHANIs'u Filed oct. 24. 195s 4 sheets-sheet s y y lnvenTos.-' FregerlcK @Shepard UT: Nathaniel Wqrshaw Y n Amis- ,June 6, 1939 F. .1. SHEPARDQJRH, Er A1. 2,161,660

l ELEVATING TRUCK HAVING PEDAL OPERATED FIJhUID ACTUATED LIFTINQ MECHANISM Y -Filed oci. 24, 1936 4 sheets-sheet 4 l ig.

. lvenT-ors. l FredercK O Shepurd Ur..

Y Ays.

Patented June 6, 1939 UNITED STATES ELEVATIN G TRUCK ERAT'ED FLUID MECHANISM Frederick J. Shepard,

`HAVING: PEDAL P- ACTUATED LIFTING Jr., West Newton, and

Nathaniel Warshaw, Belmont, Mass., assigner:

to Lewis-Shepard Company, Watertown,

' Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application october 24, 1936, serial rid-107,423

Claims;

This invention relates to improvements in elevating trucks which are employed for transporting heavyloads and one of the objects of the invention is to provide an elevating truck having hood adapted to protect the lifting mechanism for l5 raisingkthe load supporting means.

Another object ofthe invention is to providel a fluid actuated jackhaving a vertical cylinder and ram located withinthe chamber of the standard and preferably operated by pedal mechanism inwhich uniform foot pressure is applied for every: stroke. y

Another object of the invention is to provide an elevatin'gft'ruck in'v which the load supporting means is mounted by parallel links upon the main frame withja verticaluid actuated jack pivotally mountedthereon an'd y' having its ram pivotally connected to the upper portion of' the standard, with means for actuating the pump plunger to raise the load supporting means, and means for releasing fluid from the ram cylinder including an outlet valve with manually operated means mounted upon the standard andso connected to the outlet valve'as topermit'ontrolld actuation of the outlet valve `irresriective of the position of the load supporting means;k 1 Y v Another lobject `of th'ej invention `is to provide a novel andeffcientfluid-actuatedjack pivotally connected'at itsfrespective endstotlie main frame and th' standard with p i actuatedt :means for iaaoajo; meistejering ,nigeria s,

showing the load supporting means inelevated position and indicating Vin dotted lines its lowered position;

Fig. l-a is a front view 'of the main frame ofthe steering mechanism;

Fig, 2 is a front elevation, the forward portion of the head of the steering mechanism being broken away to illustratermore clearly the uid actuated jack and mechanism for operating the same;

Fig, 3 is a horizontal sectional view of the standard on lines 3-3 Fig, 2;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the construction illustrated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional View of the fluid actuated jack construction on thebroken lines 5-5 Fig. 6; n

- Fig. 6 is a horizontal `sectional view on lines 6-6 Fig. 5; and,` s

Fig. 7 is a detail sectional view on lines 'l--1 Fig. 6, viewed from the right toward the left.`

In the preferred construction illustrated in the accompanying drawings vthe main frame lis ofv zontal box-like constsruction having a 4top I,- and front and -rear walls 2 and` 3, and a bottom wall 4 formed of steel plates welded together., The top plate l is provided with downwardly, and laterally extending flanges, 5 and other anges 6 spaced apart from and located in parallelism with and in proximity to the outer flanges 5 l the steering mechanismbeneath-the -centralportion of the V:box-*like structure.

The box-like structure, is provided centrally prising an upperilatvplate ll4 para1leltothe 'downwardly extending -forkv Il), having..'mouriry d ,Suitable anti-friction bearings notshown)I sirably. yare,interposed `betweenv ktlhe ,botto l of the head and the plate!! vo. thestee and .thewheels l2 desirabl y `anti-friction.A bearings.) tofa ita;

@the power required to'lpull tu! vfin its lower end a shaft ,l;l,.upon'yvhichfthe wh'elSQ-. l2 of.y theesteering Qmechanismare,.jourxialed.

l with'a vertical sleeve ,which-,formsI a bearing fondly a hollow steering post-8 whichis provided .at

lits lower end witha forked steeringfheadl` com upper end of the steering post by a bolti4, has a pair of upwardly and forwardly extending ears I5 in the front end of which is mounted a pin I6 which forms a fulcrum for a vertically swing- 5 ing tongue. The tongue comprises a handle member I1 the lower end of which is seated in a socket in a casting I8, the lower end of which is provided with parallel extensions I9 which project over the axis of the steering post and 10 have chamfered ends which when the tongue is in raised position engages the top of the ollar I3.

It is desired normally to maintain the tongue' in upraised or substantially vertical position in order that the truck may occupy a minimum amount of space. One of the features of the invention comprises means for maintaining the tongue in upraised position so located that it will occupy a minimum of space and to be prom tected from injury. This is accomplished in the present invention by providing a spiral spring which is located within the tubular steering post and secured at its lower end to a pin 2| extending diametrically through the steering post. The upg5 per end of the spring extends between the rearward extensions I9 of the tongue and is fastened to a pin 22 which is mounted in the extensions I9. The body of the truck comprises side frames each preferably consisting of two parallel bars 23 and 24 which are welded at their front ends respectively to the downwardly extending fianges 5 and 6 and integrally connected at their front ends by a transverse bar 25. 'I'he rear ends of -the side bars 23 and 24 are provided with relatively wide-downwardly extending portions 26 and the shafts 21 for the rear wheels 28 are yJournaled in the lower portions of such extensions. Preferably the wheels have antifriction bearings (not shown). The diameter of the rear wheels is such that their peripheries lie beneath the plane of the upper surface of the side bars and by being journaled in the lower portions of the downward extensions the vbody of the truck is given suilicient underclearance to enable it readily to pass over sills and the angles of juxtaposed surfaces of a floor and ramp.

One of the main features oi' the invention consists in providing a load supporting means of exceedingly rigid all-steel construction adapted 5o when in lowered position to have-its upper horizontal plane substantially coincident with thel horizontal upper plane of theside bars of the main frame.

In the preferred. construction illustrated the 55 load supporting means which has an open `rear end -comprises 4side frames formed of pairs of parallel bars 29 and 3U integrally vconnected at their rear ends by a transverse member 3I having a central. forwardly extending web 32. A

i shaft 33, which is journaled in the front end of and 3l, are so positioned as to engage the links f 70 34 when the upper plane of the load supporting means is substantially coincident with the upper plane of the main frame, (see Fig. l.) The front end of the side 'frame members or bars 29 are integrally secured by welding to a hollow 7g standard fabricated from steel plates and so constructed as to provide a hood for the lifting mechanism which will protect the lifting mechanism from injury and which also will minimize the collection of dust upon the lifting mechanism.

In the preferred construction the standard com- 5 prises wide sheet metal end plates 36, the lower ends of which are welded to the side bars 26 of the load supporting means and extend vertically upwardly therefrom a short distance and then preferably converge inwardly. A back plate 31, lo which is integral with the end plates, extends over the top of the standard and downwardly into proximity to the side frames. A relatively thick plate 38, which extends across the side frames,

is welded to the edges of the end plates and to 15 the back" plate and preferably has a downward central extension which projects between and is welded to the inner edges of the side frames 2l and 30. 'I'he standard yis also provided with a vertical front plate 39 which is formed integral go with or welded to the end plates 36 and is provided with a recess having at its upper end an arcuate edge 40 with vertical edges 4I extending downwardly therefrom and terminating a sumcient distance from the lower ends of the end 25 plates to avoid interference with the lowering of the truck. The standard is also provided with vertical inner end plates 42 which are integral with or welded t the front and rear plates and which at their upper ends lie closely adjacent to s0 or in contact with the upper ends of the outer end plates 36, thereby providing hollow uprights of great strength and rigidity. Inwardly extending bosses 43, which are welded to the inner faces of the -outer endI plates 36, yprovide sockets for 35 shafts 44 which are 'also mounted in the lower ends of the vertical plates 42 and form pivots for the upper ends of a pair of links 45 which are parallel to the links 34.

The upper ends of the links 45 desirably are 4o provided with bosses 46 which abut against the inner ends of the bosses 43 and the lower ends of the links 45 are provided with bosses 41 which are `iournaled upon shafts 48 which are mounted in the flanges 5 and 6 which are integral with 45 and extend rearwardly from the head of the truck as previously described. The inner flanges 5 desirably have welded to them bosses 49 which form additional bearing surfaces or journals for th'e shaft 48. By virtue of this construction a very 50 rigid mounting is provided for the front pair of the-parallel links which connect the load supporting means to the main frame. F

Suitable lifting mechanism which is mounted upon the main frame and acts upon the upper end portion of the standard serves to raise the load supporting means and move it forwardly as it is lifted. In the preferred construction illustrated the lifting mechanism comprises a fluid actuated jack the lower end of which is pivotally 60 mounted upon the main frame and the ram of the jack pivotally connected to a shaft which is mounted in the upper end portion of the standard, the pump of the jack preferably being reciprocated by pedal mechanism. tti

As illustrated in the accompanying drawings the lifting jack comprises a base block 50 which is secured to a bracket 5I the lower end of which is pivotally mounted upon a shaft 52 which is supported at its ends in ears 53 of brackets 54 70 which are mounted upon the cross bar 25 of the main frame. The base block 50 has a central bore 55 .provided with a screw threaded wall which receives the lower end of the vertical cylinder 55 o1' the fluid actuated mechanism. u

The reservoir for fluid comprises a cylinder 51 which preferably is concentric with the cylinder 56 and tightly fits at its lower end upon the outer surface of a boss 56 extending upwardly from the base block 50. The fitting at the upper end of the reservoir may be loosely mounted so as to permit access of air for atmospheric pressure on A 4the fiuid in the reservoir, or this vatmospheric pressure may be providedin any desired manner. The base block also isp'rovided at a suitable distance from the cylinder with another bore having a screw threaded wall which' receives the screw threaded lower end of a vertical pump cylin-l der 59. A pump plunger 66 is reciprocably mounted in the-pump cylinder and is provided at its lower end with a Ascrew threaded extension `presenting a shoulder and a pistonl packing 6| is -clamped against the end of the shoulder :by suitable nuts upon the extension.` The upperMend of the pump cylinder is provided with a suitable stuffing box 62 and the upper end of the pump plunger is screw threaded and engaged by a fork `or clevis 63 adapted to beattached to an actuating mechanism.

illustrated in Figs. 5 and `6 the ram comprises a ram shaft 64 which fits tightly but slid- `,ably in thecylinder 56 and vhassecured toy its up- Vper en'da head 65 which is pivotallymounted upon a-horizontal shaft 66 which extends across the upper end 'of the head and is mounted in4 bearing sleeves 61, the ends of which extend through and are welded'to the end plates 36 and 42 of the box-like uprights of the standards. The sleeves 61 desirably are 'reenforced by a crossbar 611x,l which is' welded toj both of the sleevesand also to the top plate of the standard;

The upper end ofvtheram cylinder 56 is'sc'rew i' threadedand has mounted upon it a cylindrical l'sleeve 68 having ay central recess provided with an `internally screw threaded 4wall l complementary 'fto fthe'screw threads upon the upper end of the.

i cylinder and is4 provided with a web which fits the rain shaft 64.* The sleeve 66 is bored from v its, upper tend to provide a chamber 69 which freceivesa'suitable' chevron packing vformedof a @plurality of annular-"packing rings I0 v-shaped f'in" cross' section vrand superimposed jupon each "'ffothe'rwith an annularring 1|*` therebeneath having a' V-shaped upper surface complementary to w Vishaped vpacking rings. The upper end of 'the 'i but of somewhat wider angle than those of: the

if lsleeve 66:15 count'erbored and internally screw threaded to receive al1-"externally screw threaded f vnut-'IZhaving a' V-"shaped under' surface adapted 56 to` engage'the uppermost of the V-shaped rings of the chevron packing. The upper end of the sleeve 66 is externally screw threaded and is engaged' by 'an internally screw threaded downwardly"ex`ten ding flange on `a cap 'I3 having a 'peripheralfflange whic`h`engagesthe upper end gof the cylindrical'reservoir walll51 yand serves to clamp the reservoir wall firmly upon the shoul- 'der ofthe base plate'surrounding'the annular` boss 56.**

The upper portion of thecapis'counterbored -and internally screw threaded -to receive a packing and a'clamping -riut 'I4 Vwhichclosely fits the #ram shaft-"therebyproviding a stuffing box con- `l`'-structionf'effective to guide thefram *shaft to.- l

preventesc'apeof fluid.'l

i InPo'rder-to limit'theyupwardmovement ofthe 5^ :ramfsnaftF-toa; =positionfsafely withinthe ram cylinder and also"` to determine` 1the'linitfof iup- -w'ard'- movementr'bf thefload` 'supporting-means, f

means are provided for releasing fluid under A whmaisa r'niall` determined height, with a port 16 extending therefrom through the wall of the ram and adapted when reglsteringwlth the groove 15' to discharge fluid under pressure into it. So long 1| as the port 19 registers with theigroove 15 fluid will pass from the ram cylinder through it and the vertical bores 16 into the space between the nut and lower face of the cap and will be dis-; charged through the outlet l1 into the reservoir. n

yUpon cessation of reciprocation of the pump cylh inder the ram shaft will lower slightly until' the port I9 is out of registry withvthe groove `li'and 'the ram shaft and ram will then be sustained' in` upralsed position by the fluid which is trapped in u the cylinder beneath'thel'ram shaft. f

Inasmuch as the load supporting means is directly connected to the ram the load supporting means will be maintained at its highest elevation.'

The bores 16 in the nut 12 also ser've to receive 30 the projections vof aA spanner wrench-for manipvulating 'the nut.

Suitable means arel provided for drawing fluid from the reservoir to the' pump and upon actuation of the pump cylinder for? forcing it under 35 pressureinto the lower .portion ofthe ram cylinder. In the construction yillustrated the base y block is provided' with tanwarcuaterecessfll which communicatesywithone end of a horizontal bore-6I the opposite vend of Vwhich communicates with la've'rtical bore `62 leading -toa transverse bore 63 which communicates .withfa vertical bore 84 leading to the lower end-of 4the pumps cylinder.

zThe b ore 62 isv countersunk to provide 1a, valveg1 seat. fora ball valve 66.y and a-n upper enlarged u countersunk portion of the borev 621has mounted' in it a screw threaded plug 61 the lower end of `which `is located slightly' above the ball so las to permit .the ball to be raisedv when fluid is ,drawngV` from the reservoir throughthe. bores 6l, 62, .63, .o `and 64 by the upward or suction movementy of fthe pump plunger. Upon discontinuance of. the. up

ward movementof the plungerzthe -balll6"will drop to its -seat andprevent retrograde move-f,|` .mentqof theffluid -when-the ipumpplunger is l.

y forcedfdownwardly. -I v l f lower end of. the pump,` alsojcomxnunicates with a transversefbore 6,6. whichY .is .pluggedf at fits,antesgy end vand communicates. :intermediate ,of its ends Q0 .upper end Otfyvllf.

rgof. the tramt-.ecylindertftnerebyt raisingnthetramggt When the fluid is forced in this direction the ball n valve 02 is raised, but immediately upon cessation l of depression of the pump plunger the valve 92 is quickly seated by gravity and by the action of the spring 93, thereby preventing the return of any fluid from the pump cylinder to the pump.

In order to prevent clogging of the conduits for the fluid an annular screen 95 is located in the recess between the ram cylinder and the flange 50 and a similar screen 96 is located in the countesink in the base below the end of the pump cylinder. It will therefore be obvious that by reciprocation of the'pump cylinder, the ram shaft and ram will be raised progressively as the pump plunger is reciprocated and that the ram will be retained at each step of elevation by the column of fluid trapped between the lower end 'of the ram shaft and the bottom of the ram` cylinder.

Inasmuch as the load supporting means is moved forwardly as it is raised by the ram of the fluid jack special means areprovided for reciprocating the pump plunger in the direction of its axis. In the particular construction illustrated a pair of links 91 are pivoted at their lower ends upon a shaft 90 which is mounted in a sleeve 99 weldedfto the bracket 5|. The links 91 desirably are connected by a-web to insure uniformity of movement. A shaft |0| is mounted in the upper ends of the links 91 and has pivoted upon it a cylindrical rocker |02 having near one end, its right end Fig. 2, two forwardly projecting arms |03 and |04. 'I'he end portion of the arm |03 is pivotally connected to the clevis 63 upon the upper end of the pump plunger 60. The front end of the arm |04` is pivotallyvconnected to a clevis |05 upon the upper end of a rod |06 the lower end of which is provided with a clevis |01 which is pivotally connected to an arm |08 which is flxedly secured to one .end of a shaft |09 which' is mounted in suitable bearings in the flanges 5 and 0 of the main frame. The other end of the shaft |09 has flxedly secured to it a pedal ||0. It is therefore obvious that upon depression of the pedal III the rod |06 may be drawn downwardly, thereby rocking the arms |04 and |03 downwardly and forcing the pump plunger 60 downwardly so that fluid under pressure will be forced into the ram cylinder.

Means are provided for raising the pump plunger and restoring` the pedal to upraised'position. In the particular construction illustrated the rocker sleeve |02 is provided with another forwardly extending arm to which is pivotally connected a clevis ||2 upon the upper end of a guide rod ||3, the lower end of which extends through a suitable hole in a flange ||4 projecting from the bracket 5|. A compression spring ||5 which encircles the rod ||3 is seated at its lower iently located manually operable mechanism for permitting fluid under pressure to flow from the nm cylinder to the reservoir and such manually operable releasing mechanism desirably is mounted upon the standard. Inasmuch, however, as the load supporting means and standard, are moved forwardly and rearwardly as the 1oadsup porting means is raised and lowered, flexible 'means are provided for actuating theoutlet valve which controls the escape of fluid from the ram cylinder to the reservoir.

In the preferred construction illustrated a conduit ||6 leads from the vertical bore 9| which tion of the reservoir through the screen 95. The

base block 50 is provided with a vertical bore in axial alinement with the port or bore ||1 to receive the stem ||9 of a needle valve, the lower end of which is reduced in diameter and tapered to provide a valve fitting a complementary seat inthe upper end of the port |1. The valve stem ||9 has an enlarged screw threaded portion |20 which engages-complementary internal threads in a nut |2| which is externally screw threaded to engage complementary screw threads in the wall of a countersink in said base block. The countersink is of suillcient depth to receive a suitable packing |22 thereby providing a stufllng box for the valve stem which will prevent escape of the liquid under pressure which is forced from the ram cylinder into the reservoir'upon raising of the valve. 'Ihe valve stem |20 has secured to its upper end a clevis |23 which is pivotally connected to a complementary clevis |24 upon the lower end of a rod |25 of square or other angular cross section which fits and is slidably mounted in a complementary channel in a sleeve |26. The upper end of the sleeve |26 is connected to a rod |21 which is journaled in the top plate of the standard. 'Ihe upper end of the rod |21 is flxedly secured to a hollow cylindrical head |29 having a horizontally extending arm |29. A spring |30, which encircles the rod |21 and is secured at its upper end to the head |28 and at its lower end to the upper plate of the standard, tends to rotate the rod |21 in a direction to screw the needle valve downwardly vand thereby close the outlet port |I1,

When it is desired to release the fluid under pressure from the ram cylinder to permit descent of the load supporting means, the arm or handle |29 is turned in a direction to unscrew the screw threaded portion |20 of the valve stem from the nut |2|, thereby gradually raising the valve and permitting the fluid to flow from the ram cylinder into the reservoir. If the operator should release the handle at any time the spring |30 will rotate the valve stem in a direction to restore the valve to seated position, thereby preventing any uncontrolled descent of the load supporting properly located the platform may be raised by repeated depressions of the foot lever, thereby causing the ram to raise the standard and the load supporting means which is integral with it means forward. The load supporting means may be thus raised to any desired position and it will be heldin such position by the fluid which is trapped in the ram cylinder beneath the ram shaft. The fluid actuated jack may be so constructed that .the load can be raised to any de- Il sued heightl sufficient to insure the legs of the skid; or of the articlebeing raised, to clear the floor or any other obstructions and the underclearance of the frame is such that the truck can be drawn over sills or over abrupt angles in the ramp without engagement therewith.

` When the truck has reached its destination the load supporting means may be lowered by manipulation of the handle level as described so that the load will be deposited gently and without shock.

` side frames formed of pairs' of parallel bars ntegrally connected to the respective downwardly extending flanges of said head and extending lowered position mounted by parallel links upon f It will be understood that the preferred embodlment of the invention disclosed herein is of an illustrative character and is not restrictive,

and that various changes may be made in form,

construction and arrangement of parts within the meaning and scope of the following claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, vand desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is:

1. An all steel elevatingtruck having a wheelsupported integral main frame comprising a horizontal hollow rectangular head having pairs of downwardly extending Vflanges providing between the inner flanges a space for the steering mechanism. 'steering mechanism mounted in said head,

rearwardly therefrom, wheels mounted between the rear ends of the respective pairs of side bars, load supporting means having parallel pairs of side bars arranged telescopically to t over and lie no higher than the side bars of the mainl frame'when the load supporting means is in said main frame, and means for raising said load supporting means upwardly relatively to said main frame. 2. An all steel elevating truck having a wheelsupported integral main frame comprising a horizontal hollow rectangular head having pairs ofdownwardly extending flanges providing between f the inner flanges a space for the steering mechanism', side frames formed of pairs of parallel bars integrally connected to the downwardlyextending flanges of said head and extending rearwardly therefrom and provided at their ends with I' downwardly extending wider portions, wheels having axles' mounted in said downward 'extensions and having such diameter that the periphery of the wheels willlie below the horizontal ,plane of the upperedge of the sideframes, load supporting means having side frames arranged telscopically to t over the side framesof the main Aframe when the loadsupporting means is v`in lowered position, thereby to permit the load supporting means to be loweredr until the upper h'orizontal'planeof the load supporting means isf s'ubstantially'coincident with the upper plane of `tlieside frames, and frontand `rear pairsfof` par'v .allellinksjconnectingsaid frame to said 4load supportingmeans,"the'rear-pairs of links being`vlr` pivotally mounted upon theaxles of they rear ""f wheels. 3. An all steel elevating truck having a wheelsupported main frame, load supporting means mounted upon and movable upwardly relatively to said main frame comprising side frames and a hollow standard welded thereto formed of pairs of upwardly extending end plates welded to said side frames and front and back plates welded to the respective front and rear edges of the endI plates and extending across the upper ends thereof, a fluid actuated jack for raising said load supporting means pivotally mounted upon said main frame andlocated within the chamber of said standard and comprising a reservoir, a vertical ram cylinder, ram and pump, means for actuating the pump plunger, to supply fluid under pressure to said ram cylinder, an outlet conduit leading from said ram cylinder to said reservoir, a valve for said conduit having a screw threaded stemv operable when rotated in one direction to close said conduit and when rotated in the other direction gradually to opensaid conduit, and means for rotating said valve comprising 'a handle member mounted on said standard and extensible-means connecting said handle member tosaid valve stem adapted to permit operation of the valve irrespective of the height to which the load supporting means is raised.

4. An all steel elevating truck having a wheelsupporting main frame, load supporting means mounted 'upon and movable upwardly relatively vto ysaid-main frame comprising side frames and a hollow standard formed of upwardly extending end plates welded to said side frames and front and back plates welded to the respective front and rear edges of the end plates and extending across the upper ends thereof, a 'uid actuated jack for raising said load supporting means pivotally mounted upon said main frame and located within the chamber of said standard -and comprising a reservoir, a vertical ram cylinder,

ram and pump,rmeans' for actuating the pump plunger to supply fluid under pressure "from said vreservoir to said ram cylinder, an outlet' conduit leading from said cylinder to said reservoir, a valve for said condit'havinga screwthreaded stem operable when rotated in one direction to close said conduit and when rotated in the other direction gradually' to open -said conduit, an upwardly extending `bar of angular cross section pivotally connectedto said valve stem, a handlemember rotatably mounted in saidstandard having a sleeveprovided with a longitudinal channel of angular cross section complementary to that of said bar telescopically mounted on said bar and operable to rotate said valve irrespective of the height lto which the loadsupporting means is raised'. l

5. An all steel elevatingftruck having a wheel- 'supported main frame, load supportingmeans mounted upon and movablel upwardly relativelyk vto said-main frame comprising side frames-'and a hollow standard formedl of upwardly extending l end plates welded to saidside frames 'and front andv rear edgesvo f they end plates and extending xacross the -uppe'r' encl's"tl'iereolf, ay fluidA actuated pr' raam Milet ,conduit leading from said cylinder to said reservoir, a valve for said conduit having a screw threaded stem operable when rotated in one direction to close said conduit and when rotated in the other direction gradually to open' said conduit, means for rotating said valve comprising a handle member mounted on said standard and extensible means connecting said handle member to said valve stem adapted to permit operation of the valve irrespective of the height to which the load on said valve stem in a direction to cause the valve to close said outlet conduit.

6. An all steel elevating truckl having a wheelsupported main frame, load supporting means mounted upon and movable longitudinally of and upwardly relatively to said main` frame, a fluid operated Jack having a base pivotally mounted .upon the main frame and comprising a reservoir,

a vertical ram cylinder and ram and a pump for forcing uid from said reservoir into said ram cylindermeans pivotally connecting the ram to said load supporting means to permit longitudinal movement of said load supporting means, mechanism for actuating the plunger of said pump comprising parallel connected pump links pivotally mounted upon a shaft in the base of said jack and extending upwardly therefrom, a horizontal shaft mounted in the upper end of said links, a rocker mounted upon said upper shaft having forwardly extending arms one of which is connected to the pump plunger and' another of which, is connected bya link to a pedal actuated lever.

7. An all steel elevating truck having a wheelsupported main frame, .load supporting means mounted upon and movable longitudinally of and upwardly relatively to said main frame, a fluid operated jack having a base pivotally mounted upon the main frame comprising a reservoir, a

vertical ram cylinder and ram and a pump for forcing iluid from said reservoir into said ram cylinder, means pivotally connecting the ram to saidload supporting means to permit longitudinal movement of said load supporting means, mechanism for actuating the plunger of said` pump comprising parallel connected pump links pivotally mounted upon a shaft in the base of said jack and extending upwardly therefrom, al horizontal shaft mounted in the upper end of said links, a rocker mounted upon said upper shaft having forwardly extending arms one of which is connected to the pump plunger and another of which is connected by a link to a pedal actuated lever, and means for lifting said pump plunger comprising another forwardly extending arm of said rock shaft having connected thereto a vertical rod, a guide in the bue of said jack for said `rod and a compression spring encircling said rod having its lower end resting upon said guide and its upper 4end engaging a shoulder on said rod and operable upon release of downward pressure upon said pedal actuated lever to raise it and thereby to raisesaid pump plunger.

8. An all steel elevating truck having a wheelsupported main frame and load supporting means movable longitudinally and upwardly relatively to said main frame and having an integral up- .wardly extending standard, means for raising said load supporting means comprising a fluid operated lifting Jack having a base block mounted on said main frame, a cylinder and a pump extending vertically upwardly from said base, a. ram

shaft closely fitting and reciprocable iny said cylinder and pivotally connected to said standard,

a tubular reservoir enclosing said cylinder having at its upper end a head closing the upper end of said reservoir and having a bass detachably secured to said cylinder by screw threaded connection and provided with a stuffing box having a chevron packing tightly embracing said ram shaft and effectively closing the upper end of said cylinder against the passage of uid along the ram shaft, and conduits having suitable check4 valves for conducting iluid from said reservoir to -sald pump and upon actuation of said pump to 'conduct fluid under pressure from said pump tension projecting across the vertical axis of the" steering post, a spiral spring connected to said tongue extension located within said tubular steering post and having its lower end rigidly connected to said steering post acting normally to maintain said tongue in upraised position.

l0. An all steel elevating truck having a wheelsupported main frame comprising a head having steering mechanism mounted thereon, a horizontal side frames integral with and extending rearwardly from said head and provided with downwardly extending offset rear end portions, rear wheels having an axle mounted in said extensions, said wheels being of such diameter as not to extend'above the horizontal plane of the upper surface of said side frames, -in which the axle of the rear wheels is mounted to provide ample underclearance for the truck, load supporting means having a standard and side bars integral therewith and extending rearwardly therefrom adapted to telescope over the side bars of said frame and of such vertical width that when in lowered position the horizontal plane of the upper surfaces of saidA side bars will be substantially coincident with the horizontal plane of the upper edges of the side frames, parallel links connecting the load supporting means to the frame comprising a front pair 'of links and a rear pair of links mounted on the axlefof said rear wheels, means for raising and for lowering said load supporting means, and bosses on said load supporting means so positioned as to engage the rear pair of links when the load supporting means is lowered and'to arrest-further descent of the load and frame are substantially coincident.

FREDERICK J. BHEPARD, Jl. NATHANIEL WARSHAW. 

